Wasteland
by John Sayers
Summary: The TARDIS and company land in 2012 at a castle in a desert wasteland, but something isn't right. There should be no wasteland. A discovery leads to questions as the group is hunted by something living in the crumbling castle. ***Season 2 Premiere***
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A hot wind blew over the ruins of a castle as the sound of the TARDIS materializing echoed off the dead walls. The blue police box materialized on one of the tallest towers of the castle, overlooking the barren, desolate landscape down below. After a couple of minutes, the doors opened and the Doctor stepped out. The Doctor looked around, sniffing the air. Everything he saw was dead; there was death in the air he smelled. Whatever happened here was brutal.

The Doctor looked behind him to see he was the only one outside the TARDIS. He stuck his head back in his ship, "Are you two coming?"

Before he got his answer, the Doctor walked back to the edge of the tower. He looked down a sheer face of at least two hundred feet. He muttered to himself, "That's one hell of a fall."

"Well this is beautiful place isn't it?" asked Alex as she stepped out of the TARDIS, sarcasm pouring out in the question.

"For a desert, this place is actually interesting," the Doctor said, "For one, why is there a giant castle in the middle of desert."

The heat already was having an impact on Alex, "I'll be right back. I've got to change."

The Doctor kept staring at the landscape as he said, "Okay."

Alex ran back into the cool of the TARDIS as the Doctor was unmoving. He kept staring hard. There was something wrong. He could tell. This place wasn't supposed to be a desert. Before his mind could wander even more, he was snapped back as Harper walked up next to him. She asked, "What is this place?"

"I don't know," the Doctor answered. He looked at Harper, "Where's Alex?"

"Changing," Harper said, "She hates the heat. It doesn't bother me."

"She better hurry up," the Doctor said, "I have to go. There's something wrong with this place."

"What's wrong?" asked Alex as she stepped out of the TARDIS, now in a black tank top and jean shorts.

The Doctor walked towards a staircase to the inside of the tower. He told the two girls, "I don't know, but I know the answer's down those stairs."

The Doctor walked down without signaling for the other two, but they followed anyway. The Time Lord didn't acknowledge his friends following behind him. He was too concentrated on what was all around him. His body felt there was something wrong with this whole situation. The wasteland shouldn't be a wasteland. He stopped when he reached a massive foyer.

Alex didn't notice him stop and walked right into him. She bounced off, falling down. The Doctor turned around telling her, "You have a habit of that."

He held out his hand. She took it and the Doctor pulled her back on her feet. Alex replied, "You have a habit of stopping and not telling anyone."

"Considering how big I am, I shouldn't have to tell anyone."

"You got that right. You like a mountain," Alex smiled.

The Doctor feigned hurt, "That's not very nice."

"Very true," Alex continued.

Harper rolled her eyes at Alex and the Doctor. The two of them were like that most of the time now in the two months since the three of them left Waverly Place. Harper had just gotten used to it. Harper walked around the foyer and kicked a piece of dried wood across the floor. She could see the streak left in the layer of dirt on the floor. She muttered to herself, "That's disgusting."

As Harper was walking around, Alex asked the Doctor, "What do you think happened here?"

"Not a clue," the Doctor answered, "But I intend to figure it out."

"Why? Maybe the civilization just died out," Alex said.

"Maybe, but I don't believe so. I think there is something else going on here."

"Like what?" asked Alex.

"I don't know," the Doctor said.

"Do you know anything?" asked Alex.

"I know a lot," the Doctor said, "Relevant to this place, not so much. I know as much as you do."

Harper decided to chime in, "Doctor, do you know what year it is?"

"No," the Doctor said, "I didn't think to look at the year clock."

Harper smiled, "Then I know one thing more than you. I looked at the year. It's 2012."

Doctor said, "That's a year in your future. Did it say what planet?"

"I don't know," Harper said, "I didn't see what planet just the year."

The Doctor replied, "We should find out where we are."

Alex walked away from the Doctor and Harper as they discussed the setting and time they had landed in. She walked through an arched doorway into another room. She couldn't see in the darkened room and used a little magic to light the room up. She jumped back when she saw several skeletons on the floor. From what they looked like, they were human remains. She called out, "Doctor!"

"Hold on," was the reply that she got from the Time Lord.

A few seconds passed when Alex heard a loud rustling sound come from below her feet. She knelt down to try and feel anything, but there was nothing. Alex looked around the room again. This time she noticed something on the wall that she thought looked familiar. She stood up and made her way towards that wall.

Outside in the foyer, the Doctor and Harper were discussing the possibilities of what happened and where they were. Suddenly, there was a big crash followed by Alex's scream. The Doctor and Harper both stopped conversing. The two of them bolted to the room where Alex had walked into. The two of them saw Alex kneeling next to what looked like a metal shield. She wiped the dust of top of the shield. He noticed the skeletons too. They were dead for at least several months. The thing that concerned him the most was Alex, however.

The Doctor slowly walked up to Alex and asked, "What happened?"

Alex didn't turn around, but she answered him solemnly, "This shield fell off the wall before I walked up to it. Scared me so I screamed."

They both could tell what something was wrong with Alex. The Doctor asked, "Alex, what's wrong?"

After a long, tense few seconds, Alex answered, "I know where we are."

"Where?" asked the Doctor.

"This is Earth," Alex answered.

"I don't remember a castle in the desert on Earth," the Doctor.

"Because we're not in the normal earth," Alex answered. There were tears in her eyes as Alex told them where they were, "I know where we are because I've been here before. This castle is Wiz Tech. We're in the Wizard World."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Alex, what do you mean this is the Wizard World?" Harper asked, "I've been there several times. I don't remember it looking like this."

"Because it's changed," the Doctor replied as he looked over one of the skeletons.

"How?" asked Alex in a mixture of sadness and anger, "As much as I don't want to admit it, I had friends here. What happened?"

"I don't know," the Doctor answered.

"You never know!" Alex snapped.

The Doctor stood up to face Alex, "But I will."

Alex glared at the Doctor, "You better. I had friends here."

The Doctor didn't get a chance to reply before Alex ran out. Harper wanted to go after her, but the Doctor stopped her, saying, "Let her go. She's going through a marathon of emotions. She's lost a huge chunk of her life. She could lash out."

"How do you know?" asked Harper. The look on Harper's face reminded her of what the Doctor lost, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."

The Doctor half-smiled, "I know you didn't. It's a common question and most of the time a legitimate question. I'm a special case."

"Anyway, I'll try to remember," Harper said.

The Doctor merely nodded as he started to examine the remains again. He was in thought when he said, "Harper, you're smart. These bodies died months ago, not years. The dryness of the air and lack of moisture all around inhibited the bacteria growth greatly."

"What are you getting at?" asked Harper.

"These bodies are clean to bone. That takes years in a climate like this. Plus the dry air should have mummified portions of the bodies. Am I correct?"

"Yeah," Harper said, "Then why are the bodies like that?"

"Because they were hit with a weapon designed to disintegrate bodies," the Doctor replied.

"But why are the bones here?" Harper asked.

"The weapon was designed to destroy softer tissue, not the hardened minerals in bone," the Doctor said.

"That makes sense actually," Harper acknowledged, "But who in this place has a weapon like that?"

"No one from Earth or the Wizard World version of Earth in this time period. This is alien tech," the Doctor said.

"How did aliens get here? Alex said that the Wizard World was guarded again most technology."

"Yeah, she told me too, but Time Lord tech is the most advanced in the universe. That's how we got here. Whoever did this has the power to get into this world, have disintegrating weaponry and the ability to change climates. Whoever did this, they are advanced."

"Any ideas?"

The Doctor looked at Harper and told her, "I honestly don't know. Anything that was that advanced, the Time War practically wiped them out. Chances are we are dealing with a group of survivors rather than an entire alien race."

"That's a little refreshing," Harper replied.

The Doctor walked back into the foyer with Harper right behind. He continued his walk down deeper into the castle. Behind him, Harper followed, asking, "What about Alex? We can't just leave her."

"We'll find her," the Doctor said, "Besides; she went the way I'm going?"

"How could you possibly know that?" asked Harper.

"Simple," the Doctor smiled as he looked back at her, "I can see her footprints in the dust and sand on the floor."

Harper looked down and saw Alex footprints on the floor. She looked at the Doctor, "I can't believe I didn't think of that."

"Not everyone can be a genius like me," the Doctor smirked.

"Enjoy riding that high horse much?"

"More than you know," the Doctor grinned innocently.

Harper looked down at the ground and smirked at the Doctor, "Okay Mr. Genius, what about the footprints next to Alex's?"

"What other footprints?" asked the Doctor as he turned around to look at the floor. Sure enough the Doctor saw the other set of footprints. The Doctor got down to examine the footprints. They were much larger than the two girls and his own huge feet. He commented, "Damn those are huge feet."

"What made them?" asked Harper.

"Don't know, but there in the castle with us right now," the Doctor said, "That print was fresh. It's following Alex."

"Is it the alien that did this?" asked Harper.

"Harper it's a footprint, not an encyclopedia. I only know that it's at least eight feet tall," the Doctor said, "And that's an assumption."

"Well shouldn't we be going and trying to find Alex. She's being hunted for God's sake."

"She can take care of herself," the Doctor said, "She has magic. There are only two races immune remember. Both of them are dead and neither one of them can make a print like this one. Plus, you know how Alex can be. She can weasel herself out of most situations. I have faith in her."

"What about me?" asked Harper as the two of them started walking again.

"You'd be dead in two seconds," the Doctor replied matter-of-factly.

Harper glared at him, "Thank you. I feel the love pouring out."

"I know," the Doctor said.

The two of them stopped as they reached a fork in the hallway. The Doctor looked to see which way Alex went, but the prints stopped. The Doctor figured she flashed out to stop the two of them from following her. However, the larger prints continued down the hallway to the left. The hallway was dark and uninviting. The Doctor took out a flashlight and shined it down the hallway.

Harper saw it, "We aren't going down that way, are we?"

The Doctor turned to her, still holding the flashlight down the corridor. He answered, "Of course we are, my redheaded friend."

"I told you I don't like it when you call me that," Harper replied, rolling her eyes.

The Doctor, still staring, asked, "Are you coming?"

Harper looked towards the Doctor and screamed. The Doctor could tell that Harper was looking behind him. He turned around only to be met with a huge fist. The Doctor flew backwards. Harper ran towards the Doctor who groaned as he got up. Harper looked at the monster that sent the Doctor flying. It was eight feet tall with huge muscles and a huge brow. The dark grey skin had blotches of brown mixed with it. The most disturbing thing was the bald spot on the top of the head while long hair went past the monster's shoulders.

Dazed, the Doctor looked up to see the creature. He muttered, "Ogron."

Harper knelt down next to the Doctor and tried to help him up, but the larger Doctor was too much. The Ogron lumbered closer to the two of them as the Doctor was able to sit up and move himself to the wall. He said, "Harper, get ready to run."

"What?" asked Harper.

"It's an Ogron. They're strong, but slow both physically and mentally. This one nearly KO'd me."

The Ogron reached out towards Harper, but the girl bolted. The Doctor stood up, still leaning against the wall. He took out a pocket knife, ready to defend himself as the Ogron turned its raised arm towards the Doctor.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The Ogron was ready to grab the Doctor's head when Alex's voice rang out, "Mox, stop it!"

The Ogron stopped and moved out of Alex's way. She ran towards the Doctor. He looked at Alex confused. He asked, "You control it?"

"No," said Alex, "He knows we're not his enemies now."

"Okay," the Doctor said, "Did you hear me say he almost KO'd me?"

"No why?"

"Because I was wrong. He KO'd me," the Doctor said before he collapsed to the ground, out cold.

Alex looked at the Ogron. She told it, "Mox, don't punch anyone until you know if they are your enemy or friend. You got that?"

"Yes," Mox said.

Alex rolled her eyes, "You knocked him out, you carry him."

The eight foot Ogron picked up the Doctor and heaved the large man over its shoulder like it was nothing. Alex saw it and took out her phone. She said, "Stay there for a minute."

She snapped a few photos and started to walk back down the hallway with the Ogron behind her. After a few minutes, the two of them appeared in a garden that wasn't turned to a desert. Mox set the Doctor down in some grass and to get Harper back, Alex said, "She may not be near, but bring Harper here."

In a flash of light, Harper appeared next to Alex. She was relieved to see her friend, but she screamed at the sight of Mox. Alex told her, "Calm down, Harper. He's on our side."

"Are you kidding? He nearly knocked out the Doctor."

"Correction," Alex replied, "He knocked out the Doctor. Look down on the ground."

Harper saw the Doctor on the ground. She said, "Oh that's great."

Alex looked at Harper and said, "Why did you run off anyway?"

"The Doctor told me too," Harper asked, "He knew what kind of creature that thing is and said run so I decided to listen to the genius and run away."

"Aren't you just a brave little soldier," Alex replied.

Harper rolled her eyes and let out a deep breath, "Why am I everyone's sarcasm whipping horse?"

"I'm not sure what you just said, so I'll just say it's because the Doctor is smarter and I'm...meaner."

"Gee thanks," Harper said. After a minute, Harper asked, "Wait? How come the Ogron didn't attack you, but instead it befriended you?"

"That's because of one of my old professors. He survived and lives in this area of Wiz Tech."

"Who?" asked Harper.

"Me," a voice said from behind the two girls. Harper turned around to see a man in old, torn robes with a long beard.

"Harper, that is Professor Crumbs," Alex said.

"That still doesn't explain the monster," Harper said.

"No, but I can," groaned the Doctor as he sat up. He forced himself up and was standing next to Crumbs. The bearded man and the Doctor looked at each other for a few seconds before the Doctor turned to look at Alex. He said, "I may still be a little out of it from that punch, but am I standing next to Gandalf?"

Alex smiled, "No, his name is Crumbs. He was the principle of this school."

The Doctor looked at Crumbs, "Oh so you're more of a Dumbledore type?"

Harper loudly cleared her throat and asked, "I thought you were going to explain that thing over there."

The Doctor looked at the Ogron standing away from the rest of them. He said, "Ah yes. That is an Ogron. Ogrons are intergalactic mercenaries that aren't the brightest crayons in the box, but are rather effective when the need arises. They aren't the most loyal group. They tend to have their services used by the highest bidder, but there is one huge exception. If an Ogron's life is saved, that Ogron believes they are eternally indebted to their savior and will follow his or her orders no matter what. I believe that's how Crumbs here is able to control this Ogron.

"He prefers the name Mox," Crumbs said, "But you are right young man, I did save his life."

The Doctor smiled at Crumbs, "You think I'm young. I'm young at heart and in appearance only."

"Surely you can't be older than me," Crumbs said.

"I'm positive I'm older than you and don't call me Shirley," the Doctor smiled. By the confused stares he received from the old man and two girls, he expanded, "Pop culture reference from 'Airplane'. Nothing?"

"Anyway," Alex said, "Crumbs you want to tell the others what happened here?"

"Of course Alex, but first I want to know how old the Doctor is."

"2,398 years old. I usually just round up to 2400," the Doctor answered, "Now bearded wonder let's get this show on the road. I'd really love to know what happened here."

"Ah yes. It all started about a year ago. Wizard World creatures started acting strange and violent, but it was only certain ones. In my opinion, it was as if they were under a spell and were being controlled. So I checked, but they weren't under a spell. I wasn't sure what was going on. Then early this year, out of the blue, everything went crazy. The temperature and climate started changing. Fight among magical creatures broke out. The entire Wizard World all took a trip to crazy town. Then the Ogrons and other creatures I didn't know about showed up..."

"Enter aliens," the Doctor interrupted, "Sorry. Continue."

"Those aliens as you call them started to join the fights and before we knew it, there was an all-out war. Between the normal Wizard World creatures and the violent ones and the aliens. Within weeks, there was nothing. The death toll was staggering. It was unlike anything I have ever seen before. This is where Mox came in. He was badly wounded, near death in fact. I performed a healing spell on him and he was back to new. From then on, he's been a body guard of sorts."

"Can you tell us the specifics of what happened?" asked the Doctor.

"I'll try my best, but I was caught off guard as much as anyone," Crumbs answered, "I do know that there was someone who was controlling everything. That person was believed to be the reason for the dramatic change in that group of Wizard World people and creatures. From what I could gather, the leader came from a group of ancient people that were supposed to have died out already. That's about all the specifics I can tell you. I don't know much more."

"That's okay," the Doctor said, "I'll find a way to make things right."

"How?" asked Crumbs, "Most magic doesn't work anymore."

"I use technology. I have the greatest time machine in the universe. I'll investigate and find out what happened. From there I will do everything in my power to make it right."

"That's changing time," Crumbs said, "That could be dangerous."

"I know. I'm kind of an expert on the subject."

"Really? What do you know?"

"The biggest thing is that time can be rewritten," the Doctor said, "So I'll rewrite this portion of the book."

"You would do that?" asked Crumbs.

"Yeah," Alex said as she walked next to the Doctor, "He's kind of a big hero. He does those things."

Crumbs was going to reply, but Mox sudden movement made everyone jump. Crumbs asked, "Mox, what it is?"

He pointed to the sky. Everyone saw a giant flying creature in the sky. It resembled a monstrous fruit bat. The Doctor's eyes widened in horror, "Everyone get inside!"

"Why?" asked Harper as the bat monster landed on one of the castle's spires.

"It's a Bangalore. It's a predator that other predators fear. Now get inside."

Everyone ran towards the entrance as the monster saw them. It took off and flew towards the doorway. It crashed into the wall, nearly breaking through. The group ran deeper into the building as the Bangalore tried to break in.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and used it on the door to the classroom they had barricaded themselves into. He put the sonic back in his pocket. Alex walked up to him and asked, "Will that keep the thing out?"

"Not a snowball's chance," the Doctor replied.

"Then what was that for?"

"It makes me feel better," the Doctor smiled nervously.

"You seemed to know what that thing was," Crumbs said, "Care to elaborate."

"Yeah sure," the Doctor nodded.

"You guys really think an explanation is the best thing at this very moment in time?" asked Harper.

"Tell me a better time, Harper," the Doctor said.

"Maybe when we aren't on the brink of death."  
>"We may not survive so I'm going to do it anyway," the Doctor replied, "Okay, where do I start. It's called a Bangalore. It's the top land based apex predator on the planet Oceans. Basically, it's a giant bat that feeds exclusively on mean. That would be us. I do have a question though. The Bangalore is just an animal. It's not capable of technology or science let alone space travel. How did it get here then? Got any theories, Gandalf."<p>

Crumbs shook his head, "You know more about the thing than I do. Perhaps, one of the aliens brought it with them as a weapon."

"Possible," the Doctor said. He ran his fingers through his hair, "Who am I kidding? That's how it had to have happened. I can't think of any other way. Can you guys?"  
>"No," Crumbs said, "I didn't even believe aliens existed until recently."<p>

"Seriously? You're a wizard and you don't believe in aliens. Now that's what I call funny," the Doctor said.

"I apologize, but I thought I knew a lot more than I actually did," Crumbs said.

From outside, everybody heard the banging of the giant bat monster trying to get into the castle. The Doctor ran towards the east wall and put the side of his head on the wall. He felt the vibrations of the banging. He took his head off of the wall, "It's started to attack the spires."

"That's not good," Crumbs said, "The castle was severely damaged in the fighting. The walls aren't as strong as they once were."

"That also goes for the floors doesn't it?" asked Alex.

"Yes, Alex, it does," Crumbs said.

Harper forced a smile, "Well I guess getting crush to death is better than being eaten alive."  
>The Doctor looked at her, "Well, you're just little Ms. Optimistic, aren't you?"<p>

"Just stating the facts, Doctor," Harper told him.

The Doctor turned his gaze to Crumbs, "How long has the Bangalore been here?"

"What do you mean?" asked Crumbs.

"You weren't surprised that you saw the Bangalore. It doesn't live here at the castle, but it lives close by," the Doctor explained.

"You're right," Crumbs responded, "I've tried to get rid of it once, but I can't. There seems to be nothing that can."

The Doctor shrugged. He walked around the room before asked Crumbs another question, "How did you survive here for so long?"

"The garden," Crumbs answered, "I used magic to preserve it before the power core was damaged."

The Doctor perked up at the words "power core". He walked up to the Crumbs, "Where is this power core?"

"Wizard City Hall," Crumbs said, "But there's no use in going. That was one of the first targets in the war. I have never seen anything like it. One day my world was perfectly fine and the next thing I know..."

"Everything was torn away from you in a fit of violence that should not have happened. The war took its toll on your world. It destroyed, damaged and devastated your world. The war claimed insurmountable lives, leaving you as the possibly the only survivor," the Doctor interrupted.

"Yes, that's it exactly," Crumbs replied, "How did you know?"

"Personal experience."

Alex walked over to Crumbs, "Same thing happened to him. War destroyed everything he had."  
>"Oh my," Crumbs responded.<p>

The Doctor stopped in the middle of his pacing and facepalmed himself. He said, "I can't believe I didn't think of that before."

"What?" asked Harper.

"The Bangalore is a bat," the Doctor said.

"So?" asked Alex.

"How do bats move?" the Doctor asked, "Sound. Bats are sound sensitive. If their echolocation is screwed up, they wouldn't be able to maneuver. I have the perfect thing to screw the echolocation up."

"What would that be?" asked Crumbs.

"This," the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver.

"A wand? Wands don't work anymore," Crumbs said.

The Doctor looked offended when Crumbs called his sonic a wand, "It's not a wand, Dumbledore. It's a sonic screwdriver."

Alex chimed in with, "What do you mean wands don't work anymore? Mine does."

Crumbs looked at her, "That's impossible."

"No it isn't. That's how I got Harper here with us," Alex said.

The Doctor soniced the door unlocked as he said, "Alex is a pure conduit. She can pick up on time energy where others can't. I found that out a few weeks back after the Aragon incident."

Crumbs looked at the Doctor with suspicion this time. He asked, "You aren't a wizard are you?"

"Took you that long to figure be out, Beard Boy," the Doctor said, "I'm not a wizard and I'm not a mortal. I'm a Time Lord."

Alex walked over to the Doctor, "What do you mean I'm a pure conduit?"

"You are connected to time more so than most. Maybe even more than me. I'm not sure why, but I do know that you can see things and hear things that other can't. If you apply yourself, you can remember things that others can't. I've got a theory behind it, but I won't share it until I know for sure. It's nothing bad."

"Better not be," Alex said, "So what are you doing?"

"I'm going to go to the roof and blast that hell bat with my sonic. Wanna watch?" asked the Doctor.

"Of course," Alex said.

The two of them bolted out of the room leaving Harper with the old wizards and the muscular alien. Crumbs asked, "They seem like they do that a lot."

Harper looked over at Crumbs and said, "You have no idea. I get left behind a lot."

Harper walked out and followed the two down a couple of corridors until she reached the roof where the Doctor and Alex were. The Doctor had his sonic ready as he yelled, "Come on you giant bat! Let's roll!"

An ear piercing shriek resounded throughout the air. The Bangalore appeared and was heading straight for the Doctor. He held out his sonic and turned it on. The sound of the screwdriver hit the Bangalore like a train. It fell out of the sky like a rock. The bat fell onto a lower spire causing the stone to stab the Bangalore in the abdomen. The Doctor adjusted the sonic's setting and used it on the spire the Bangalore was on. The old, worn down stone crack and crumbled, taking the giant bat with it.

After the Doctor took his finger off of the sonic's button, the screwdriver sparked and short-circuited. The Doctor looked at, "Lost another one. I'm starting to think that I should give up the sonics altogether."

The stones that the trio were standing started to crack on their own. Alex looked at the Doctor in the eyes and said, "You have got to be kidding!"

"Doctor what happened?" asked Harper.

"I'm thinking that the sonic may have been on too powerful a setting and now caused the entire castle to become even more unstable. We need to get to the TARDIS now."

As another spire collapsed, Alex said, "Yeah, I think that would be a good idea."

The three of them off in the direction of the TARDIS. A third, larger spire collapsed as the three of them ran for their lives.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The Doctor, Alex and Harper ran for their lives as the stones around them started to collapse. The hallway behind caved in sealing off that way of escape. The Doctor led the charge as they stormed up the staircase towards the balcony the TARDIS was positioned on. On their way, the Doctor ran right into Mox who was getting Crumbs to the same balcony. The Doctor fell over but jumped backed up to his feet.

"Will you guys speed up a bit," the Doctor said, "If you hadn't noticed, the castle's crumbling."

"We had noticed that, Doctor," Crumbs said, "But there's nowhere to go. This is the only spire left."

"I know," the Doctor told him, "I have a way out, and we can all use it, if you hurry."

"Of course," Crumbs said, and the Doctor bolted up the stairs. He saw the TARDIS was in the same spot that he left it and let out a sigh of relief.

The Doctor ran to his ship, "Okay, everyone inside. Alex. Harper. You too, Dumbledore. Inside. That includes you, Gigantor."

All of them entered the TARDIS with the Doctor rushing towards the control console. He pulled a lever, letting out another sigh of relief. Outside, the TARDIS dematerialized just as the remains of the castle came crashing down.

Back in the TARDIS, Crumbs asked, "What happened out there? Why did the castle suddenly start to crumble?"

The Doctor looked up at the bearded man, "That would be my fault. I didn't anticipate the stones to be that weak. I used my sonic screwdriver on one of the spires, but the vibrations shook more than that. Good news is that the bat monster died."

Alex smiled, but Harper said, "Doctor, his castle just crumbled. I don't think the death of the giant bat will outweigh that."

"Don't be such a killjoy," the Doctor said.

Crumbs looked around the TARDIS, not paying attention to the Doctor and Harper reverse jabs at each other. He was impressed with the size of the room in the little police box that he had seen. It wasn't until the Doctor asked him a question that Crumbs was snapped back to reality. He said, "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"I asked if you were impressed with the TARDIS," the Doctor told him.

"Very much so. What spell did you use?" asked Crumbs.

"Don't be ridiculous," the Doctor said, "I didn't use a spell. It's just the type of technology the ship is. It's dimensionally transcendental."

"I'm not sure what you just said, but you sounded like you knew what you were talking about."

"I do know what I'm talking about. All the time," the Doctor said.

"That can be argued," Alex replied.

"Did I ask for comments from the peanut gallery?" asked the Doctor. Alex just glared at him. He responded to her with, "Didn't think so. Anyway, back to you, Crumbs. Where do you want me to drop you off? I can bring you anywhere and anytime in the universe."

"Anywhere? Anytime?" Crumbs asked.

"Yes," the Doctor said.

"Just to the mortal world of Earth a hundred years in the future," Crumbs said.

"Why? That's not that exciting," the Doctor said. He looked to Alex and Harper, "No offense to you two."  
>"Oh, none taken. I totally agree with you on that one," Alex said.<p>

"And all of last year wasn't exciting?" asked Harper, "The spider woman, robots, evil teachers and giant talking potatoes."

"No comment," Alex said.

"Girls enough," the Doctor said, "Oh, sorry. Eleven came through on that comment. I swear Boy Tie Boy never leaves me alone. Now Crumbs, we're here. You have to understand that this world is different from the one you came from. You have to try and act like a normal person would in this place."

"Ah thank you and I'll try to act normal," Crumbs said. Crumbs left the TARDIS with Mox behind him, against the Doctor's protest. The two of them left the sight of the TARDIS occupants as the Doctor shut the door.

Before he had a chance to do anything, the TARDIS dinged at the Doctor. He looked rather confused until the saw the date on the TARDIS screen. His expression saddened even though he had a small smile on his face.

Alex noticed, "Doctor, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," the Doctor replied, "It's a certain anniversary. I need to go get something and then we can be on our way."

"What anniversary?" asked Alex, a little worried by the Doctor's expression.

"Nothing you need to worry about. I just go visit a dear old friend every year on this day. It's sort of tradition that started with Eleven over a thousand years ago. I didn't get a chance to do it last year because of the broken TARDIS, but this year, I'll go and visit."

"Where's this friend at?" asked Harper.

"You'll find out," the Doctor said, "We'd better be off. I don't want to miss this visit for two years in a row. That wouldn't be good."

The Doctor walked up to the control console. He plugged in a location and set the TARDIS in motion.


End file.
